PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Union technical staff spent much of the first round of Thursday’s MLS SuperDraft placing calls to other teams to try to move up from their 31st overall pick.
But when they couldn’t get any deals done, they did the next best thing: hope that one of their favorite players would slip to them in the second round.
That plan worked out perfectly as they managed to scoop up a high-scoring striker that many projected to go in the first round – Dzenan Catic – at No. 31.
“When Catic fell into our lap, we were shocked,” Union head coach Jim Curtin said. “That part worked out very well. He’s a guy who brings some size, he’s very good in front of goal. I was talking with a lot of other coaches at the Combine and they saw him as one of the top players – not just the top forward. He’s a kid who’s an underdog, a kid who I’m high on.”
Catic certainly is an underdog. While many other players came from well-known Division I programs, Catic suited up for NAIA school Davenport University, where he scored a whopping 63 goals in two seasons and led his team to a NAIA title.
But there was a reason why he didn’t play at a more prestigious university. Following an excellent high school career in Michigan – where he moved from Bosnia at the age of 8 – Catic decided to sign with the German club Kaiserslautern. And when he failed to make much of an impact there, he then decided to return stateside – where he was no longer eligible to compete in the NCAA because he had already played pro soccer.
“I’ve had a lot of ups and downs, but I think it’s been a good life experience for me and it’s shaped me into the player that I am today,” said Catic, who choked back tears after he was selected. “I’m hoping to use all of that to show what I’m made of, and hopefully everything works out in Philly and I can get started right away.”
- Get more Philadelphia Union news at PhiladelphiaUnion.com
Curtin was pleased to see Catic release so much emotion Thursday, and the Union coach believes his unlikely journey makes him a “battle-tested” player that can immediately fit into MLS.
The Union’s only other pick of the day – University of Virginia midfielder Eric Bird – is also someone the club believes is battle-tested and can compete for minutes right away. And like Catic, Bird – who led the Cavaliers to the national championship last month – is a player that was projected by some to go in the first round before falling to Philly at No. 41.
“He’s a guy that slipped a little bit because he missed the Combine with a little groin injury,” Curtin said. “I think that hurt him. But he’s a guy who’s a winner and a guy who’s a two-way midfielder who we can see being a backup to Vincent [Nogueira].”
Dave Zeitlin covers the Union for MLSsoccer.com. Email him at djzeitlin@gmail.com.
